


Give and Take

by herbailiwick



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-23
Updated: 2013-03-23
Packaged: 2017-12-06 05:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/731774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herbailiwick/pseuds/herbailiwick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by Sam's pink and purple <a href="http://optimisam.tumblr.com/post/46053365679/sam-winchester-and-his-pink-and-purple">toothbrushes</a>.</p><p>Dean deserves to have what he wants sometimes too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Give and Take

Sacrificing things for Sam is part of what gives Dean purpose in life. Sitting in the wobbly chair, forgoing a soda so Sam can have one, turning off the TV when Sam's trying to study for a test.

Taking the girly things, sometimes. 

If there's a girly color of something, Dean will take it. Like, for instance, toothbrushes.

Until the day Sam catches on, anyway. Because there's a moment, after John's just dropped off some groceries and Dean is putting them away, when Sam is in the middle of explaining what he'd done wrong on a math problem Dean has already told him he probably won't be much help with, when Dean hesitates as he opens the double pack of toothbrushes and he swallows as he pulls the blue one out and hands it wordlessly to Sam.

Sam's still muttering something about improper fractions when he suddenly becomes aware of the way Dean is looking at the pink toothbrush that's left, and then Sam suddenly trails off and Dean's looking down at Sam and asking, "What?"

"Don't you want the blue one?"

Dean starts, looks down at the pink one guiltily, frowns at Sam. "It's just a toothbrush," he says.

Sam looks up at him sadly.

Dean sighs, sets the new toothbrush down in the ripped-open package, finishes putting away the other supplies. "You'd understand if you had a little brother," Dean finally says.

Sam steps closer and presses the blue toothbrush into Dean's hand. "Take it, Dean," he says, and he looks so quiet and urgent that Dean scowls.

"No. Why?"

And Sam doesn't know how to say what he wants to say, so he just gives Dean that _look_ , until Dean slowly takes the blue plastic handle.

Dean feels his face heat. He's being stupid about this. Sam doesn't have to have the pink one. He clears his throat, pausing before saying anything as he watches Sam head over to the table to fish the pink one out of the ripped-open package. He frowns as he watches Sam take the thing toward the bathroom, and then it hits him.

He listens as Sam starts to quietly brush his teeth with the pink toothbrush, and he grips the blue one more tightly in his hand. 

Sure, he's a good big brother, and he sacrifices a lot. But Sammy's kind of awesome too.

***

As Dean gets older, he starts to say, "Hey, here. Since you're the girl." 

He starts to say, "One purple brush for the best little sister a guy could have, huh?"

He starts to say, "Hey, bitch. I got your favorite color."

And beneath the glares and the eye rolls and the snarky backtalk, he knows Sam's happy, because Sam remembers. Sometimes, it's okay for Dean to have what he wants, even if that makes him a, "Jerk!"


End file.
